Captains' Play
by redcandle
Summary: The only thing worst than lusting after the enemy is falling in love with him. AngelinaMontague. Oneshot. Set during the OotP school year.


"Captains' Play" by Redcandle17

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and elements from the Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling.

It's the first day of Seventh Year, and Professor McGonagall's just told Angelina that she's the new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It's one of the happiest moments of her life when McGonagall tells her that Oliver Wood, the previous captain, recommended her for the job. She leaves McGonagall's office smiling. She idly wonders who the new Slytherin captain is. It doesn't take her long to find out.

She's about to head into the Great Hall when someone puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her. It's Montague, one of the Slytherin chasers. "Are you the new Gryffindor captain?" he asks.

She knows this means he's the new Slytherin captain - the Slytherins are very sensitive about hierarchy and power dynamics. "Yes," she answers simply, staring at the large, pale hand on her shoulder. He doesn't remove his hand. If she was Oliver and he was Marcus, they'd have already started shoving each other and throwing punches. But she's a girl, and Montague would easily win any physical fight she starts. She's a girl, and that doesn't necessarily have to mean she's at a disadvantage.

Although she hasn't wanted any other boy than Fred, she's noticed the way other boys look at her. She covers Montague's hand on her shoulder with one of her own smaller, dark hands. She makes her voice light as she says, "Why, Montague, aren't your teammates going to be upset that you're fraternizing with the enemy?"

He snatches his hand away. "Just making sure I know who the enemy is."

She puts her hand on his chest and licks her lip. "Do you really want to be my enemy?" She tilts her head, looking up at him, daring him to kiss her. She can feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, under her hand.

He stares at her, confusion and desire evident in his eyes. He's not sure how to react. Finally, he cups her face in his hands and whispers, "Do you want to be mine?"

Damn it. It takes her a second to realize that he means; does she want to be his enemy, not does she want to be his lover. She will not let him win this, the first round in what is sure to be a year long struggle. She decides to play dirty. His robes are open, and she rests her other hand on his belt buckle for a heartbeat. "I prefer to make love, not war, Montague." Then she takes a few steps away from him, and forces herself to laugh, "But that's just me. I'm sure there'll be an owl from Oliver in the morning, reminding me that Quidditch is war." She starts walking away, turning back only to say, "See you on the pitch."

But that's not quite accurate. The Gryffindor-Slytherin game is over a month away, and she sees him in classes every day. Katie and Alicia are working together in Potions, as are Fred and George, and she curses Lee for not being accepted into Advanced Potions as she turns to look for a partner. Montague blocks her way before she can get to another Gryffindor girl, and by the time she walks around him, the girl already has a partner - and Angelina has no choice but to work with him. They only talk about the potion they're making, but Angelina's uncomfortably aware of the look in his eyes. She's in no mood for this game now; she needs to concentrate on the class, Snape will leap on the smallest opportunity to take points from Gryffindor.

She realizes she's losing this round, as Snape holds a vial of their potion up to the light and pronounces it adequate. So when she sits down, Angelina props her legs in the way she knows causes her skirt to slid up her thighs. Montague's gaze instantly locks onto the sight of her long, bare legs. She smiles and strokes a patch of her own skin as she says, "Good being back at Hogwarts, isn't it?"

"Must be for you, after spending your summer snogging Weasley," he says, drawing his eyes back to her face.

She leans forward a little, smiling, as she says, "Oh, I did a lot more than snog Fred this summer." He doesn't say anything to her for the rest of the class, although he still watches her. She thinks she won that round, until that evening. She closes her eyes and sees him as she's kissing Fred in an abandoned hallway only the twins know about.

Next Potions class, as Montague's reaching pass her for the beaker of dragon's blood, he whispers, "I think about you at nights."

She's not certain how to respond to that. Does he think he's offending her, that she'll run to tell Fred? She whispers back, "I thought about you while I was with Fred." She laughs when he drops the container he was holding. Though her laughter quickly dies when Snape uses his twisted logic to blame her for the spilled dragon's blood and takes five points from Gryffindor.

That's the way they interact for a month. They brush into each other in the hallways, and it looks like provocation for a fight to their teammates, who don't know how it excites them both. They whisper increasing tantalizing things to each other in classes. By the end of the month, Angelina's wishing they weren't just playing the eternal Gryffindor-Slytherin game.

When the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year rolls around, and they run into each other at Honey Dukes, he buys her a sugar rose. Fred and George are too busying throwing hexes and punches at him and the other Slytherin boys to notice that Angelina slips the rose into her pocket. Alicia and Katie notice, though, and they ask her about it later that night. They're her best friends, so she doesn't even try to lie to them. She readily admits that she and Montague have been playing with each other since the start of the school year. They only give her pitying looks and pat her on the back.

It's finally Quidditch season, and Slytherin vs. Gryffindor is the first game. Angelina stares expressionlessly into Montague's eyes as he squeezes her hand, trying to get a reaction from her. The game is less exhilirating than it usually was for her, because Ron Weasley isn't even half the keeper Oliver was. She cringes every time he lets the quaffle in, allowing the Slytherins to score. She breathes a sigh of relief when Harry catches the snitch. Her relief is short lived, as that little blonde bastard soon goads George and Harry into a fight. She restrains Fred, determined not to have to replace both beaters, and because she doesn't want her boyfriend getting expelled. Later that evening, after she learns he, George and Harry have been banned from playing Quidditch anyway, after she yells in the Gryffindor common room, after she screams at Fred in his dormitory, she goes down to her office in the locker rooms to be alone.

But it's just not her day, and she literally bumps into Montague before she can reach the Gryffindor locker room. She expects him to taunt her about her diminished team, but he doesn't say anything. He pulls her into his arms and she lets him, resting her head on his shoulder. She's not certain how much time they spend standing like that, but it's enough for the stress of the day to slip away. She finally pulls away from him and softly says, "Thank you." He doesn't reply, only smiles briefly. They go their separate ways.

When they see each other in class a couple of days later, there's more in the air between them than just sexual tension. And that's even more dangerous. Lust, well, Angelina could resolve that by popping into the room of requirements with Montague a couple of days before they leave Hogwarts. But the possibility of something else - _love _- can't be handled that easily. It's such an absurd thought, she can not be falling in love with Montague. He's the Slytherin Quidditch captain, she reminds herself, the enemy. And he's probably going to be a Death Eater after he leaves Hogwarts. She imagines the scolding Oliver would give her if he knew how she was feeling. Montague's uncharacteristically silent, as if he's also trying to control his errant emotions.

They don't say anything unrelated to class assignments and barely look at each during the next couple of weeks. But that doesn't help much. Angelina's uncomfortably _aware_ of him all the time. Though she forces herself not to look, she's aware of him sitting at the Slytherin table during meals in the Great Hall. She's aware of walking by him in hallways. Worst of all, she's aware of the heat radiating from his body during classes; and she wishes the Potions tables were bigger, that there was more distance - say the length of a Quidditch pitch - between them. And, even though she's **not **looking at him, she's aware of the way his brow creases as he tries to decipher Snape's writing on the board. It's all bittersweet torture.

One day, they're the last students left in the Potions classroom, and Snape's in his office. It's too much. Angelina reaches for Montague and he reaches for her. It doesn't matter who reached for whom first, all that matters is that they're in each other's arms. They're so caught up in their kisses, they don't notice Snape returning. They don't even notice him coughing. They do notice when he says sharply, "Mr. Montague, Ms. Johnson, this a classroom." He doesn't take points or give them detention, though. Angelina thinks it's only because he can't figure out an excuse for sparing Montague while punishing her.

After that, they stop trying to ignore each other. Maybe if they give in, they reason, this attraction between them will burn itself out. So they meet in closets, empty classrooms, unused hallways, and, sometimes, in the astronomy tower on nights they know classes will be cancelled on account of cloudy skies. It takes them seventeen days of sneaking around like that, until they remember that they both have offices down in the locker rooms. It's easier to tell their friends/teammates that they're going to work on strategies for the next game, it almost guarantees that they won't be interrupted.

Soon it's Christmas, and their attraction hasn't burnt out. In fact, it's stronger, hotter, more intense. It's so difficult for them to sit beside each other in class and not touch. The last day of class of the term, Montague tells her that all the other Seventh Year Slytherin boys are going home for the holidays. He assures her that Slytherins are discreet and none of them will say anything about her visit to the students in the other houses. He whispers the password to the Slytherin common room. The next night, Angelina leaves the Gryffindor common room and heads down to the dungeons. The password is "parseltongue," and none of the handful of students in the Slytherin common room pay any attention to her. Except Montague, who's there waiting. They manage to restrain themselves in front of the younger students. But as soon as Montague's dormitory door is closed behind them, Angelina throws her arms around his neck and kisses him.

It's differen being in a bed, more intimate. And they've got all night. Angelina hadn't planned on sleeping over, but after the third time, she falls asleep anyway. When she wakes up, there's no sunlight streaming in, so she thinks it's still night until she sees the clock. Ten o'clock. It'd been past midnight the last time she looked at the clock, so it has to be morning. Montague's still asleep. He wakes up when she pries his arm from around her waist. They don't say anything.

Angelina goes back to Gryffindor Tower, and after she's showered and avoided Alicia's questions, she goes to the Great Hall for lunch. Montague's at the Slytherin table. She considers sitting with him, because there aren't that many people around to gossip. Still, even one Hufflepuff is one too many. He leaves the room before her, but he's there waiting outside when she leaves. They walk aimlessly around the castle, not talking about anything more meaningful than the latest professional Quidditch scores. She remembers the room of requirements, and she tells him she has a surprise for him as she leads him there.

It looks exactly like her bedroom at home. She's always wanted to make love in her own bed. Even though her parents like Fred, she never dared to take him to her room. She's never thought of using the room of requirements like this before, either. Montague finds it amusing. He wanders around the room, staring at the Holyhead Harpies posters, picking up a replica of the pink stuffed rabbit she's had since she was six years old. Laughing, he throws himself on her bed and invites her to have her way with him. She laughs and swats his shoulder before straddling him. Then the laughing stops, because they're kissing. This time is less frenzied than all the previous times, and they stare into each other's eyes. Angelina finally accepts that she won't get out of this affair with her heart intact.

They don't talk after leaving the room of requirements, but they walk back to the Slytherin common room holding hands. The other Slytherins are polite to her, and Angelina feels guilty because she knows the other Gryffindors wouldn't have been polite to Montague. She sits in his lap near the fire and they talk about their post-Hogwarts plans. She intends to try-out for every professional Quidditch team. He wants to be a Quidditch writer for the Daily Prophet. Then they go to the Great Hall for dinner separately.

"It's a Slytherin, isn't it?" Alicia asks quietly, after Angelina's returned to the Seventh Year Gryffindor girls' dormitory.

There's no point in denying it. "Yes, he's a Slytherin," Angelina admits.

"Montague's the only Slytherin in our year who stayed over Christmas, so I assume it's him?" Alicia's face is expressionless.

"Yes." Angelina sits on her bed, not looking at her best friend.

Alicia sits next to her. "Do you love him?" she asks, and she looks worried now.

Angelina doesn't answer and that's all the answer Alicia needs. "How could you, Angie?" she whispers. "You know that it's doomed."

"His family aren't supporters of You-Know-Who and neither is he," Angelina says. "It might be difficult while we're still here at Hogwarts, but it's not dooomed."

Alicia looks doubtful, but she changes her line of protest. "What about Fred?"

"You know how it is between us, Alicia. Fred and I are free to see other people."

"That's what you agreed, but neither of you have actually done so," Alicia points out.

Alicia's correct, and it makes Angelina feel guilty, so she decides to break up with Fred. But when he and his siblings return to Hogwarts, he's upset over his father's injury and she can't bring herself to upset him more. She's still meeting Montague every opportunity they get. They even create a schedule: her office every evening after dinner.

The week before Valentine's Day, Angelina finally tells Fred that their romantic relationship is over. He doesn't seem very upset, but then, they haven't even kissed in months. Angelina lets him think that it was because she's angry over him getting suspended from the team. They've been friends for over six and a half years, and they agree to remain friends. Lee Jordan immediately asks her out and she tells him "no," the way she's been telling him "no" for three years. She wonders why she couldn't fall in love with him instead of Montague. Love is beyond control - she's read that line in some book, and she agrees that she really had no choice in the matter. It just happened.

Valentine's Day, she and Montague go to Hogsmeade separately then apparate to Diagon Alley. They spend the day walking with their arms around each other. Angelina expects Oliver to throw a tantrum when they encounter him, but he doesn't. Once he recovers from his surprise at seeing them together, he doesn't even comment on it. Instead, he asks them about Hogwarts and tells them about playing for Puddlemere United. "Good luck," he says when he leaves, and Angelina can't miss what he's referring to.

Their relationship continues until one day in April. Montague goes missing around the same time the twins leave Hogwarts and she know it can't be a coincidence. She even asks Warrington if he's seen Montague, but no one's seen him. She's worried and angry enough to consider sending a howler to the twins, but she doesn't. Instead, she sends them an owl asking what they did to Montague. When she gets their reply, she does send them a howler, though she's careful to make it seem like she's concerned about the trouble they'll get into rather than that she's worried about him. There's nothing anyone can do but wait for him to reappear from the vanishing cabinet.

When he does reappear, she goes to see him in the hospital wing as soon as she can. Her heart skips a beat when she sees the condition he's in. He doesn't even recognize her, or Warrington, or anyone else. She sends the twins another howler, and this time, she doesn't hide the fact that it's Montague she's concerned about. She goes to see him every evening. His parents visit one day, and she's surprised that he's told them about her. His mother hugs her, and Angelina starts crying. She doesn't care who knows her secret now, but only Alicia, Katie, and the Slytherins know anyway.

When she takes her N.E.W.T.s, she can't help hating Fred and George. Montague's still not himself. He's still in the hospital wing, unable to write his exams. There's the announcement about Lord Voldemort's return, and Angelina doesn't care. Dumbledore sends Montague to St.Mungo's. As she sits on the Hogwarts Express, leaving Hogwarts for the last time, she thinks that it's not fair. Life's not fair. Today was supposed to be the day she could stop keeping their relationship a secret, the day it no longer mattered that the Gryffindor and Slytherin captains loved each other instead of hating each other.

Harry Potter walks pass her, and Angelina tells herself that at least her tragedy isn't as bad as Harry's. Her pain won't affect the fate of the wizarding world. It isn't much comfort.

End(5/13/05)

Author's Note: I really can't stop myself from writing A/M fics, it's my favorite ship. Anyway, if it seems odd that I never give Montague a first name, it's because I can't think of one that I like and because I love his last name.


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